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Security & Strategic Review - September 2026
PANAMA/REGION: Seeking to downplay contraband concerns
In mid-July Luisa Napolitano, the general manager of Panama’s Colón free trade zone (FTZ), was compelled to publicly deny reports that the FTZ is a centre for contraband trade. Speaking at a press conference after announcing a new US$250m investment to upgrade the FTZ’s facilities, Napolitano said: “They need to stop calling it a smuggling hub. It isn’t one. We’re in control of everything”. Her remarks were in response to a report assessing smuggling in Central America by US-based non-profit Transnational Alliance to Combat Illicit Trade (Tracit) published on 8 July which named the Colón FTZ as a “central vulnerability” in Central America’s efforts to address widespread contraband and smuggling.
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